Happy

I confess, I don't really know what to title this blog, or say this week. Life is good. I guess I will post a few things that I have discovered about myself in the past month:
- I am not NEARLY as patient as I would like to be.
- Friends do my heart good. Old and new friends alike mean a lot to me.
- I love a cleaning schedule...and I love to clean.
- I am much less sporadic than I used to be.
- I read like a book...there isn't much mystery when it comes to my feelings and I can't hide them very well.
- I HATE gaining weight, even for pregnancy. And, with that said... I eat too much :)
- My husband is incredible and I don't deserve him.
- I love beautiful music.
- I like to teach. (Even if its just my new CTR 6 class)
- Moderation in ALL things.
- I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE having a dishwasher and washer/dryer.
- I enjoy using a breadmaker.
- I like a good hard bed.
- I talk too much :).
- I LOOOOOOOOOVE my little family and am extremely excited for baby 2.
- The church is true. I know, duh, but it just feels so good everywhere you go.
- Boise OBGYNs are WAY more expensive than Provo ones.
- Someday I will have a garden.
It all goes on and on, but it's been fun being introspective during this transition in our lives. I think the biggest truth I learn over and over again is that I need to be better. There is always room to improve and there are so many possibilities; it's exciting.

Carson Update

It's been a while since I have told you what all has gone on with our little man. I think the best way to sum it up would be... a lot.

• Carson is a BIG talker. He even says three syllable words like Applesauce and Basketball. He puts two and three words together often and will try to imitate whatever we say.
• He LOVES LOVES LOVES his daddy. Sure, mommy is alright but Daddy is wonderful. Carson will cry like Dave is dead when he leaves and will repeatedly say "daddy" throughout the day till he gets home. If I leave, he simply says "bye, mommy"
• Carson loves basketballs and footballs. He takes after both his mom and dad on this one.
• Carson is learning to run. He started crawling at about 11 months, walking at 13 months, and is finally trying to gain some speed.
• He LOVES the water (wa-doh) and baths. He also loves to brush his teeth regularly.
• Carson is a great snuggler and kisser. We hope this lasts until he is 8 and then disappears until he is married.
• He LOOOOOOOOOVES Juice. But also enjoys a glass of muck.
• He officially wears size 3T clothes and can even fit some 4T. That also means size 6 diapers.
• Carson still has his adorable dimples and is a charmer.
• Last but not least, HE WILL BE IN NURSERY IN ONE MONTH!!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

23 weeks 6 days

Sorry about the super close-up. It's the only way we could get a picture that wasn't super dark. Either way, my belly isn't that much bigger that a few weeks ago anyway. Just thought I would post this for documentation purposes.

About 21 weeks
About 16 weeks

Pregnancy is going well. I am feeling good, just tired. I forgot to take a Unisom about a week ago, and realized the next day, that I was totally fine. Hallelujah! I did that with Carson and threw my french toast up in Nicole Kellers toilet. Sorry... again. The baby moves a lot which is always so fun. He's a big boy. I predict if I have him just before 37 weeks like I did Carson (not that I am expecting to), that he would be between 8 and 9 pounds. I guess we will see!

What?!

This Kid is growing up WAY too fast! He's already shaving! Just yesterday (or so it seemed) he was TERRIFIED of the razor, now there isn't a place we can hide it that he won't find it!

And just for good measure :)

New Apartment

I just LOVE having a little more space. And, I think the only person that might love it even more than I do is Carson. Sometimes he runs from one room and throws himself down on the carpet in the next just because he can. In Wymount he would have hit a wall or suffered some serious concussion or something like that. The apartment is everything I would have hoped for and more. In fact, we even have a MANTLE! We took more pictures, but this was the only one that really turned out. Thank you Hawkes, for the awesome clock! No more mile hikes to get to the garbage, the laundromat, or the mail. I'm probably going to get fat...actually, I am well on my way :). We love being here around family (lots on both sides) and experiencing new adventures. Now, if you would come visit us, THEN everything would be complete :)

Two Second Update

Hello All! We miss all our friends in Utah. It's never fun leaving the people you love. We have made a successful transition into our new apartment here in Boise. The trip was faster than we anticipated and so the Elders Quorum wasn't ready for us and the Relief Society moved us in instead. No Joke.
The apartment is WONDERFUL! I LOVE having a bigger place! Our ward has a few familiar faces and that is nice too. I always like meeting new people though.
Carson is adjusting alright. It could have been better and also could have been worse.
Dave started his temporary job today. We are SO grateful for this little position.
I found a couple great little places to walk, and feel like I have doubled in size in the past couple of days, so this is a very good thing!
We don't have the Internet yet (in fact, I am typing this at a Bruneel Tire store while a slow leak in our tire is being fixed), but as soon as we do, we will put some pictures up and get in better touch with you. Take care and keep in touch!

Officially Outnumbered

It's a BOY!!!!!!
I was JUST as excited to find out we are having a boy this time as I was with Carson. We feel so blessed. The baby looks good and healthy and HUGE. I am just over 19 weeks and the baby was measuring at 21+ weeks. At this point Carson was only 4 days ahead, and he ended up being big. I can only imagine what I am in for. The doctor said my due date would be August 27th according to this ultrasound. Because Carson was big, and Dave and I are big, it remains the same, but I plan on ginormo-boy. Hooray!

15 month appointment

Let me just say that I love my baby. Carson is the most adorable, beautiful, wonderful, sweet, smart, delightful baby anyone could ever ask for. He must take after his daddy :). He was so good at his doctors appointment today, shots and all. He always is though. Here are is stats:

Height: 34.5 inches (100th percentile)

Weight: 29 pounds 11 ounces (96th percentile)

Head: 19.9 inches (99th percentile)

So to sum it up Height = LONG Weight = FAT and Head = BIG Just right if you ask me :)

Post By David

Sorry you have to hear from me. My wife thinks I am doing homework right now, and I just wanted to write a quick note about her to surprise her.

She made cookies the other day, and they were delectable. Unfortunately, she insists on doling out some of these cookies to our "friends". Personally, I think if they were really our "friends" they would deny the offer and let me eat the cookies. Mel is a giving person.

Her pregnancy is going well. Despite the fact that she is growing another person inside of her, she still works hard all day with Carson and keeping the apartment tidy. All I do during the day is sit in class and digest my breakfast, if I eat it. Mel gets upset when I don't eat breakfast, something about being healthy and not wanting me to die when I'm fifty because all I do is eat cookies on my way out the door. Maybe that's why she gives them away :). I can't wait to get home from school and work so I can play with Carson and Mel can get a break.

Mel is faithful. Her bum of a husband hasn't found a job yet, and she will not stop smiling. Her chipper attitude is highly contagious.

We had fun picking out the new background for the blog. I love the picture that my brother Jeff took of Mel and Carson. Aren't the two of them beautiful?*

I love my wife. She makes me happy.

*The answer is Yes.

Confession

Alright, I admit it, I am pregnant! Today I am 14 weeks 4 days. I kept the news under pretty tight wraps until over 13 weeks. This has been a scary pregnancy and I didn't want to put myself through the agony of telling anyone I had miscarried. I'll explain: at about 6 weeks, I was sitting between ward conferences when I felt something similar to when my water broke with Carson. I rushed to the bathroom to find that I was experiencing severe bleeding. After hurrying home and receiving a BEAUTIFUL priesthood blessing, I was sad, but felt okay about everything. I called my doctor and was told to take it easy and pay attention to the bleeding. "Check for clots and tissue". Clots and tissue never came, and the bleeding eventually stopped. I figured time would tell if I had lost the baby. I decided to take a pregnancy test the following Friday and sure enough, that second little line, was READILY there. The following Wednesday (a week and half later), I had a doctors appointment. He did an ultrasound and there was a little bean with a good heartbeat. Blessings! I then had some pretty good spotting two weeks later. I made it a matter of faith at this point, prayed and hoped for the best, and once again, it stopped. At 13 and a half weeks, I had another doctors appointment whereat he found a strong little heartbeat. He didn't even have to move the sonogram thingy around at all! That made me feel really hopeful. So with all that said, we are THRILLED for baby number two. I have no clue what we are having because this pregnancy has been SO different. Here are a few of the ways:

- Heartburn started WAY sooner than last time
- I got sicker sooner, and it has lasted longer, but it hasn't been quite as bad
- I have been able to somewhat control the nausea with food...uh oh
- The breakouts started sooner, but have lightened up a bit, whereas last time they just got worse and worse
- I am WAY more tired. If I don't get 10 hours of sleep a night, I can't function
- My uterus has been more tender. Last time I didn't feel it at all
- That whole bleeding thing...
- I am not necessarily emotional, but I cry at EVERYTHING remotely touching.

You get the picture. I do need to thank a few people (who did know of my condition) for their care and willingness to step in and help at any time. They have truly been angels. Jess, Emily, Mom; I love you!